The Daughter of Time and Prophecy
by A-teeny-smol-birb
Summary: "And when comes the daughter of a time before, so then shall the Mistress of darkness be no more" When fate throws Hermione back in time, she gets a second chance at happiness and true love. But when a long forgotten enemy rises from the shadows, and threatens everything Hermione holds dear, what will she choose? Her daughter? Or the fate of the entire wizarding world? Remione
1. Prologue

Authors note: Hey guys! This is my very first fanfiction ever, and I hope that you enjoy it! Updates might be a bit sporadic, considering that I am a college student trying to get her nursing degree, and plagued with professors who decide its a great idea to have four film reviews a week, along with essays, lab reports, and 100 questions every other night. Not that I'm bitter. Ha. Anyway, enjoy my lovelies!

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Prologue

Everything was pain. That was the only thought in the woman's mind as she lay on the sweat soaked and twisted white sheets, writhing in agony. The pain ebbed a little and the woman glared with tired eyes to the man who sat by the small bed, gripping her hand as tightly as she was gripping his.

"I bloody hate you" she seethed, panting from exhaustion.

He only smiled at her in return and wiped the evidence of her labor away from her flushed brow, placing a soft kiss on it. It wasn't the first time he had heard the venomous words in the last three hours, and he doubted it would be the last. His wife hissed as the next wave of pain hit her, and she emitted a low groan as she rode it out. She turned to him, seeking his face, his stupid, beautiful, damned face, and her eyes found his. There was none of the panic that had been there three hours earlier, when her water had broken while cooking supper. She had been laughing, she remembered, as she stirred the soup, swatting his hands away as he pinched her bum. The mood had been playful, light and airy, his laugh mixing with hers as he took her in his arms and kissed her. She looked up into his face, glad for a moment of peace after a hectic day filled with running around trying to get last minute plans for her upcoming birthday party finished, topped with what she thought were Braxton Hicks contractions.

Of course, that small minute of peace was shattered when she felt the telltale gush of liquid between her thighs, accompanied with a particularly sharp pain low in her abdomen. Everything after that was a bit of a blur, the contractions started coming hard and fast, and her sainted Husband panicked and rushed off to find a local midwife. When he returned fifteen minutes later, muggle midwife in tow, he found her hunched over in the same spot he left her, trying her best to breathe through the pain. He was still panicked, bless him, this much was clear as he helped her into the bed gently. It was with that same gentleness now that he caressed her face, holding her gazes, staring at her in wondering amazement. She smiled back at him, reaching the hand that was not clasping his own to run it down the side of his stubble roughened cheek. The midwife cleared her throat.

"It's time to push" the pudgy older woman said in a no-nonsense tone.

The woman braced herself and looked at her husband, panic clear in her expression. He rubbed a soothing hand on her arm.

"You can do this." he assured her, and she nodded, filled with love for her supportive and wonderful husband. Her attention was drawn back to her present situation though as the next contraction hit her, causing her to scream.

oOo

Hours later, the woman lay on the bed exhausted, her tired husband next to her as they stared down at the sleeping face of their daughter. She was red faced and wrinkled, with a swatch of dark hair that was fuzzy and out of control, but to them, she was the most beautiful thing that could possibly exist in the entire world. The woman smiled softly at the small bundle and craned her neck to kiss her husband. He cupped her face and she sighed, gripping their child closer to her breast. Their daughter had fallen into a sound slumber after nursing for ten minutes, which wasn't surprising, given the fact that she had nearly screamed herself hoarse in her anger at being forced out of her warm womb and into the cold and frightening world, where everything was a little too loud and bright for her taste, thank you very much. The man moved his hand from his wife's face to his daughter's and almost reverently ran a single finger down her soft cheek.

"She's so small" he whispered, looking at her perfectly formed lips and tiny pert nose. "She's perfect"

His wife's eyes were sparkling with laughter and she teasingly asked him "Do you want to count her fingers and toes again? You know, just to make sure she still has eleven of each"

He snorted and the baby jerked at the sound. The woman hummed a tuneless melody, rocking her slightly to lull her back into sleep.

She turned to her husband "Did you make sure to obliviate the midwife?"

he nodded and the woman turned back to her baby, running a hand across the soft downy head. The baby stirred slightly and nestled closer into her mother's warm embrace. The woman frowned, a small crease appearing between her brows.

"What's wrong love?" he asked.

She hesitated, scared to voice her thoughts and ruin the peaceful atmosphere that currently permeated the room.

She sighed "I-I'm just worried, about-about the prophecy. What are we going to do?" she turned her fearful gaze to him.

His grip around her tightened and a low growl slipped from his throat. "We'll hide her, somewhere they will never find her."

"We can't hide her forever! What happens when they do find her?"

he growled again "IF, they find her"

"No, WHEN!" she started to cry large heaving sobs.

Her husband immediately changed his demeanor and gently took the baby from her arms, placing her in the bassinet besides the bed. The woman covered her face with her now free hands, tears streaming down her flushed cheeks. Part of her knew she was behaving irrationally, due to the hormones currently rushing through her system, but another part of her told that part to shove it, she had every right to be irrational dammit! She felt the bed dip as her husband knelt next to her. His hands came up to hers and he pulled them away from her tear stained face. She looked up at him through overflowing eyes

"What are we going to do?" she sobbed "They'll find her, and they will kill her."

he brought his rough hands back up to cradle her cheeks, pressed his forehead to hers.

"They won't find her, I promise"

she sniffed and closed her eyes, nestling against his chest. He smoothed a hand over her sweat soaked and frizzy hair

"We'll disappear for a while, until it's safe to come back."

"But what about-"

he cut her off with a gentle kiss to her brow. "I'll let them know tomorrow not to expect us for a while." he smiled down at her.

"They're all going to want to meet her you know." she sighed and glanced over to where their daughter was still sleeping peacefully in the transfigured bassinet.

How could a baby only hours old have so much responsibility heaped upon her already? It wasn't fair she decided, and leaned over to take a hold of one tiny hand. She stroked it with her thumb.

"She's going to have to fight her entire life" the woman frowned, glancing back to her husband.

He shared her troubled expression as he stared at the infant.

"At least we know she'll be able to handle it," he gave a low laugh "damn near screamed my bloody ears off earlier"

she smiled and whacked him in the chest. "Language!"

He chuckled "I highly doubt she can understand us anyway."

His wife laughed softly, and leaned over to kiss him again, their previous argument all but forgotten, when he suddenly sat up straight and leapt from the bed. Immediately she was on high alert, she climbed from the bed and grabbed her wand.

"What's wrong?" she asked gripping the wood in her hand and moving towards him on shaky legs.

Her husband sniffed, once, twice and then whipped around to face her, eyes hard and set.

He only said two simple words "They're here." and she was rushing over to the bassinet and scooping up her daughter. Casting a quick silencing charm on the sleeping child, she wobbled over as fast as she could back to her husband, when a large explosion in the other room made her freeze in panic. It was as if time was moving in slow motion now, as her husband marched over to her, grabbed her in a searing kiss, and leaned down to gently brush his lips against his daughter's forehead.

"Go." he said in a firm voice "I'll fight them off while you escape. Take her and go." He held her gaze for a moment more, and then turned and ran out of the room.

The momentary ebb to the panic the woman felt disappeared now that she was out of his arms, and rose high in her throat. She used that panic to focus as best as she could. The floo powder was across the room next to the wardrobe, shifted over there during the hectic delivery. She hurried as fast as she could over to the other side of the room. She would floo to the other safe house, and then- Her thoughts were cut short by the sound of a loud scream. His scream. She froze, and barely had time to turn to shield her daughter as the door exploded, launching wooden shrapnel everywhere. She was out of time. She glanced around desperately for a place to hide, and her gaze fell to the wardrobe next to her. It would have to do. She climbed in and shut the heavy mahogany doors behind her, pushing herself as far back as she could into the coats and dresses. She cast a notice-me-not charm over her hiding place and waited. A dark figure appeared in the smoky doorway, or what had been the doorway, but now was just a large hole in the wall. She got ready to exit and rush into her husband's arms when two more figures stepped up behind him. It was them. She stifled a gasp and burrowed deeper into the hanging clothes, clasping her daughter closer to her.

If they had gotten through the defenses, than that meant that her husband was… no. She would know if he was dead, she was sure of it. It didn't mean he wasn't lying mortally wounded in the living room though. She gripped her wand tighter as the men stepped into the room, and looked around.

"Search everywhere" the tallest one drawled, glancing in disdain at the humble room. He walked over to the fireplace, and his soft footsteps sounded like thunder to the woman. He bent over and rested a hand on the cool stone and smirked, as if he had found the answer to an unasked question. Still facing away from them, the Cold man turned his head slightly.

"She has to be here somewhere, she couldn't of gone far, considering how cold the floo is" His voice was soft and silky, the sound a snake would make if it had a voice. The woman shivered, chills going up her spine.

his companions sneered and quickly began turning the room upside down, looking under and behind bed, poking in the corners, and overturning furniture. Every time they strayed close to her hiding place, the woman held her breath and prepared to defend herself and her daughter. She ran through the hexes and curses she knew, mentally preparing herself to act quickly, but her charm held strong and they passed by her with every circle of the room.

"She's not here" one of the henchmen sighed, disappointment clear in his tone and as the two turned to go, the woman breathed a silent sound of relief. The tall blonde one, however, who she guessed was the leader held up a hand, halting the two shorter men.

"I have an idea" He said.

She held her breath as he turned and left the room, wondering what he could mean. Her baby squirmed in her arms and the woman looked down noticing for the first time that her child was screaming her head off, but due to the silencing charm, not a sound escaped. Thank Merlin for small miracles. She rocked and bounced the baby, trying her best to calm her without words. She began to plan, something she did best in times of stress. The leader of the death eater trio still hadn't returned yet, could she take out the two waiting for his return, grab a handful of floo powder and make it to the fireplace before he came back? She doubted it, given how weak she was from giving birth only hours earlier, and the wounds slowly leaking blood down the back of her ruined nightgown from the shrapnel of the explosion. She couldn't apparate though, not with a baby, especially given her record of side-along apparition and splinching. She would have to try to run then. She risked a quick look down at her daughter, noticing that the child had finally quieted, and was nuzzling her breast, wanting to nurse, if her suckling motions were any indication. She looked back up through the crack between the doors and gripped her wand even tighter readying herself to throw whatever curses it took to keep her daughter safe, when she heard the tell-tale pop of apparition in the other room.

The leader waltzed back into the room, only this time he wasn't alone. The woman froze. Standing there, next to the impeccably dresses man in the silver mask, stood a man hunched and dirty, wearing rags that had such a strong stench, she could smell the sour milk and body odor from across the room. Fenrir Greyback. The werewolf glared over at the tall man. His lips curling in disdain.

"The deal is the deal. I find the girl, I get the mother."he snarled.

The woman felt a chill slip down her spine at the implications of the statement.

"Yes, yes, of course," The blonde man snapped, checking his watch. "Just do it quickly, she wants it done before the Dark Lord becomes aware of our absence."

The woman stilled. Who was the 'She' they were talking about? Surely not Her. Not already. Her thoughts were cut short when Greyback took a deep inhale and turned towards the direction of the wardrobe with a lascivious grin on his face.

"She's over there" he smirked, pointing a long yellowed nail towards their hiding place.

"There's nothing there" one of the two henchmen snorted, sharing a glance with his companion.

The leader stared at the corner where the woman hid, his brow furrowed, until realization dawned on his face.

"You bloody fools!" he hissed, wrath in his eyes as he spun to face the two minions. "She's a damn witch, she used a notice-me-not charm! Did either of you think to cast a Revelio?"

He raised his wand and before either could offer up any protests, he simply said, in a voice cold with fury "Crucio!" and the two men fell to the ground, screaming.

Greyback merely looked on in amusement at them as they writhed in pain. The blonde leader tucked his wand away and strode out of the room.

"I'll take care of the half-breed" he sneered, and the woman could hear the disgust in his voice at the thought of touching her husband. "You take care of the child. Kill it, and do what you wish with the mother."

He left the werewolf behind, who smiled nastily in the direction of the hidden wardrobe, and took a single step towards her

"Come out, come out wherever you are sweeting," he sang "I'll get rid of the troublesome little one, and then you and I can have some fun, what do you say?"

The woman shrank farther back into the coats at the dark promise in his words, and held her daughter closer.

Greyback sniffed the air again. "There's no use in hiding darling, I can smell your fear… and the sweet milky breath of the little one." he grinned a nasty grin "how sweet she will taste, her blood hot and wet on my throat" he growled as he stalked even closer.

The woman's eyes narrowed. She would die before she gave him the chance. She prepared herself, ready to defend her daughter to the death. If she was going to die, she would drag these bastards down to hell with her. She could only pray that her husband wasn't too seriously injured to take their daughter to the safe house. Tears dripped down as she kissed her daughter's peaceful face. How the infant had managed to fall back asleep with all of the yelling and commotion, she didn't know.

Greyback was close now, the smell of death permeated the air around him, making her gag. She braced herself, angling the arm that held her daughter away from the door, and aiming her wand as best as she could in the cramped space. She was ready to face death. Suddenly, she felt a sharp burning pain from the chain that she always wore around her neck. She hissed and risked a glance down, to the time turner that hung there. She froze at the sight that greeted her. Just that morning, the top half of the hourglass had been full, but now… now there was only one small grain of sand left, and the device was glowing faintly. Her eyes widened in pain and astonishment as the burning sensation became more intense. And as she watched, the last grain of sand fell, the glow grew rapidly until a blinding white light filled the room. Just as Greyback flung open the doors, the time turner grew unbearably hot, and the woman felt a familiar tugging sensation, and the feeling that she was falling forward very, very quickly.

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AN: So what did you guys think? Please leave a review! and have a beautiful day lovelies!


	2. Chapter One

CHAPTER ONE

They were fighting again. Hermione groaned and rolled over in the bed, covering her head with the pillow in an attempt to muffle the loud yelling that came from downstairs. One bleary eye glared out from underneath at the alarm clock on her bedside table. Even though she herself was an early riser, She doubted that _anybody_ needed to be THAT angry at... bloody hell, 5 in the morning. She groaned and buried her head deeper into the mattress. Ever since she had arrived a week ago at The Burrow, there had been nothing but fighting non-stop. Not over sensible things, like the plan in place to get Harry, which was later tonight by the way, or the impending doom that lay in wait for them, like a cat waiting around the corner. No, once again, the fight was annoyingly simple. Wedding plans. Fleur and Molly had been at each other's throats lately, the small truce they seemed to have gained over Bill's injury at the end of sixth year had completely dissolved, lending way to screaming matches that weren't good for anybody. Surely it wasn't healthy to have one's blood pressure skyrocket so often.

The yelling died down and Hermione waited a moment before sighing. At least for now, the fight seemed to be over. Thank God. She could finally get some well-deserved rest. Everything had been so stressful lately, her days filled with planning and researching, trying to make sense of the tasks that lay ahead. Not to mention the added factor of her parents, which wasn't so much a stressor as it was a heartache. While she had done it for their own safety, it still had felt as though she had torn a piece from her own chest when she erased all traces of herself from their lives. She didn't know the effect memory charms of that magnitude would have on their long lasting psyche. What if they never got their memories returned? What if they were lost to her forever? Surely they couldn't escape such a powerful obliviation without _some_ mental scars. But Hermione had decided to actively ignore that for right now, and instead focus on more pressing matters at hand. And right now, that included getting more sleep. She sighed and burrowed deeper under the covers, closing her eyes and finally started to drift off. A large crash was heard from downstairs, followed by the sound of renewed screaming, and Hermione's eyes flew open. She was going to bloody kill someone. She sat straight up in bed, hair flying everywhere in a frizzy mess as her head whipped in the direction of Ginny's bed.

If she was looking for support, she decided, she really wouldn't be able to rely on the redhead, as she was currently snoring loudly, drool pooling under her cheek, which was mashed into the pillow. Hermione snorted. The girl could sleep through anything. Hermione slid out of bed and padded over to Ginny's side of the room with her pillow. There was only one way to get her to wake up before she was ready to, and while unwise, Hermione really needed mad Ginny awake if she was going to get ANY sleep. Hermione paused next to Ginny's sleeping form, raised the pillow in her hands, and brought it down squarely upon Ginny's head.

Ginny startled and snorted, with a grumbled "Whazzat?" as she blinked blearily.

Her eyes slid to Hermione's direction, and narrowed into a glare. She opened her mouth, ready to yell, but Hermione put her finger to her lips and gestured in the direction of downstairs, where the screaming had escalated to a new level. Upon hearing another crash, Ginny's nostrils flared.

"Oh hell no." she growled and slid out of bed, her furious gaze intent on the door.

She flung it open and stomped down the stairs, hair wild and tangled, with Hermione trailing behind. Ginny stormed into the kitchen, and was greeted by the sight of an irate Molly and Fleur, both still screaming at each other, although Fleur was doing so in rapid fire French. Ginny's eyes flashed at the sight of both disheveled women.

"Do you two have any bloody idea what time it is?" she asked is a deceptively calm voice. One that left loved ones and enemies alike quaking in fear.

Ginny Weasley could probably send Voldemort home to his mummy, tail between his legs with the look that was currently on her face, Hermione mused silently, as she pushed past the seething red-head farther into the kitchen. Molly and Fleur both turned with matching indignant expressions on their faces.

"Apparently, _she_ thinks that serving a steak and kidney pie on the banquet table is to _uncouth_ for her delicate tastes." Molly said, seething with anger.

Fleur's eyes flashed.

"Zat is because eet is! Weddings are for 'and made pastries and champagne! Not for a Sunday dinner dish!"

her gaze narrowed.

"And besides zat, you use too much salt in eet."

Molly gasped and Ginny's nostrils flared. Hermione sighed and quietly pushed past them. She might as well get some tea, as it seemed that she wouldn't be getting anymore sleep.

Hermione went to heat the kettle, but found it already hot. Puzzled, she poured herself a cup and placed a tea bag in, walking out to the living room. She ran into Remus on her way out of the door, with an empty teacup in his own hand. He started and nearly dropped the delicate china, then composed himself and offered her a sheepish smile.

"Hello Hermione," he said "lovely morning, isn't it?" wincing at the sound of breaking pottery.

Hermione snorted

"Quite."

Remus chuckled and gestured to the living room, allowing her to go first. Hermione smiled and walking past him and sitting on the sofa, shifting over slightly so that he could join her.

"How are you?" he asked as he settled in next to her.

"I'm good, a bit tired though." she answered him

"What with Ginny being up before ten, I assume you woke her?"

Hermione rolled her eyes

"I thought that waking her up would get them to stop, but I forgot to factor in the fact that Ginny dislikes Fleur almost as much as Molly, if not more."

Remus laughed softly and his gaze flicked over in the direction where the three women were still arguing.

"I take it you also forgot about her significantly impressive sense of loyalty to those she loves."

Hermione laughed with him and looked over, eyes sparkling. His breath caught, and Hermione looked at him a question in her eyes. He waved it off, clearing his throat as if something rather large were stuck in it.

He had shown up at the Burrow two days ago, bedraggled and worn, but smiling on the front stoop. Molly had immediately started fussing over him, pulling him inside and feeding him an immense amount of food, all the while clucking over him like a mother hen. It was what she did best, mothering the lost and weary, at least in Hermione's opinion. Despite all the attention, Remus still looked rather worse for wear, with heavy bags under his eyes and a look slight grey cast to his skin. Hermione wondered offhand when the next full moon was. With all of hovering that Molly had been doing, Hermione really hadn't had the chance to speak with Remus alone. Now that she was alone with him, she felt strangely nervous, and aware of every minute detail, from the way that he shifted slightly, to the scent of his aftershave, rolling off him in waves. She was baffled as to the reason why. Well, maybe not _baffled_. She'd had that crush on him in third year after all… she halted the thought in its tracks. Nope, no, no way. She was an adult now, by both wizarding and muggle law, she did not have some sort of silly schoolgirl crush on her professor. The thought was simply absurd. She was just worried about him for Harry's sake, that's right. Besides, he was her friend too, wasn't he? She had every right to be concerned about his well-being. Besides, that crush from long ago had been the result of her stressed out and frazzled mind latching onto the first adult who had offered her a friendly smile and a new book, which just so happened to be Remus. It had been nothing but an infatuation, one that she had only told Ginny under the extreme duress of truth or dare last year. She was much more mature than that now. Yes, the idea that she had any inklings of feelings other than platonic for the werewolf was absolutely ridiculous.

Remus sighed, and Hermione jumped a little at the small sound. She had been silent for too long, and she wondered if he felt awkward. She certainly didn't, in fact she felt downright calm in his presence, although she supposed it was the general aura that he exuded, without even trying. Everywhere he went, he gave off feelings of ease, soothing anyone around him.

"I'm sorry for being such a poor conversationalist, I'm a bit tired." he said quietly. Hermione smiled softly.

"It's fine Remus, I don't mind." her brow furrowed, and she took in his state of being, noticing his rumpled clothing, the dark smudges under his eyes, and the somewhat grayish cast to his skin. "Are you doing okay? No offense, but you _are_ looking rather peaky."

Remus laughed.

"Hermione, you really do know how to make a bloke feel good."

She blushed and began to stammer "I-I'm so sorry! I-I didn't, didn't mean-"

He cut her off with a laugh.

"Hermione, Hermione, it's okay, I'm only joking"

Her blush deepened further, and she whacked him lightly on the arm.

"Remus Lupin, it's not funny!" but she was laughing too now, and her eyes were alight with happiness.

As their laughter died down, Remus became more serious.

"The next full moon is in two weeks, and I've been feeling the effects more and more lately, considering that Snape.." he trailed off, looking defeated.

Hermione understood what he didn't say. Ever since Snape's betrayal and subsequent fleeing, with Draco Malfoy in tow at the end of last school year, Remus was no longer able to receive the wolfsbane potion that kept him sane every full moon. He was suffering greatly without it, Hermione could tell, if the new scars that she could see running along his arms were any indication. She couldn't even imagine what the one's on the rest of his upper body looked like. _Well it wasn't entirely true, she could very well imagine him shirtless_ \- Hermione brought her thoughts to a screeching halt. _Absolutely absurd_.

"What will you do for this one?" she asked softly, and were it not for his enhanced hearing, he would not heard her over the noise in the kitchen, where the argument was still going full force.

He frowned, "We'll stay here. Snape knew the Order met at Grimmauld, and while Mad Eye, Kingsley and Tonks reinforced the wards, we don't want to take any chances."

Hermione internally grimaced at the sound of Tonk's name. She had no personal quarrel with the woman, but she had heard recently that she and Remus were dating and-

" _Absolutely ABSURD._ " she thought to herself.

Tonks was a lovely person, and if she was dating Remus, than Hermione was happy for them, she really was. Even if she did feel slightly sick to her stomach.

The sounds of screaming got even louder, and Hermione wondered with a wince how no one else in the house had awakened yet, specifically Sirius, who valued his sleep more than even Ginny or Ron. As if her thoughts had called him, Sirius then flew down the stairs, still in his pajama bottoms, shirtless, and stomped towards the kitchen, a murderous expression on his face, nostrils flaring. Hermione winced. This would not end well. Seemingly echoing her thoughts, Remus stood up, moving in front of the irate man in an attempt to stop him.

"Pads, maybe now's not the best time to interrupt-" Sirius shoved past him and stormed into the kitchen.

"OI!" he yelled, disappearing through the doorway "DO ANY OF YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT BLOODY TIME IT IS? IT'S TOO EARLY FOR THIS FUCKING-"

His shouting was cut off abruptly, followed by silence. When he came back into the living room, he was sporting a massive set of Elephant ears, a black eye from a stinging hex, and his hair was purple.

Hermione and Remus shared a single glance, and promptly burst into hysterical laughter. Sirius scowled and slunk back up the stairs, flipping the two of them off as he went, leaving them rolling around on the floor, howling with laughter.

oOo

 _The entire plan had gone to shit_. That was all Remus could think as he landed on the ground next to Sirius. He hopped off his broom and rushed over to where Harry stood. Harry rushed forward to meet him and Sirius, but stopped short when Sirius pointed his wand at him and Remus grabbed him by his shoulders and stared at him intently. Hagrid loomed behind, a look of shock on his face.

"Oi!" said Hagrid indignantly. "Le' go of him! Le' go of Harry!"

Remus ignored him.

"What creature sat in the corner the first time that Harry Potter visited my office at Hogwarts?" he said, giving Harry a small shake. "Answer me!"

"A—a grindylow in a tank, wasn't it?"

Remus released Harry and took a step back, while Sirius lowered his wand.

"Wha' was tha' about?" roared Hagrid.

"I'm sorry, Harry, but I had to check," said Remus tersely. "We've been betrayed. Voldemort knew that you were being moved tonight and the only people who could have told him were directly involved in the plan. You might have been an impostor." Sirius embraced Harry, holding him tightly.

There was another flash of blue light and Bill and Tonks came rushing up, the polyjuice potion still wearing off.

"What happened?" Bill asked, eyes hard. "We were flying along, and then suddenly death eaters were everywhere."

"Mad Eye is dead." Tonks said, her voice filled with grief. "We saw his broom go down."

Mad Eye was dead? Remus's thoughts were reeling. How had this gone so wrong so quickly?

"None of the Order would have told Voldemort we were moving tonight," said Harry. Remus snarled internally. There was only one person who could have betrayed them, and he was conveniently missing from the burrow.

Harry spoke again. "Voldemort only caught up with me toward the end, he didn't know which one I was in the beginning. If he'd been in on the plan he'd have known from the start I was the one with Hagrid."

"Voldemort caught up with you?" said Remus sharply. "What happened? How did you escape?"

Harry explained briefly how the Death Eaters pursuing them had seemed to recognize him as the true Harry, how they had abandoned the chase, how they must have summoned Voldemort, who had appeared just before he and Hagrid had reached the sanctuary of the Burrow.

"They recognized you? But how? What had you done?"

"I…" Harry hesitated "I saw Stan Shunpike… You know, the bloke who was the conductor on the Knight Bus? And I tried to Disarm him instead of—well, he doesn't know what he's doing, does he? He must be Imperiused!"

Remus could barely contain his frustration, his eyes flashing from their normal shade to a bright gold and he opened his mouth to speak, but Sirius beat him to it.

"Harry, the time for Disarming is past! These people are trying to capture and kill you! At least Stun if you aren't prepared to kill!"

"We were hundreds of feet up! Stan's not himself, and if I Stunned him and he'd fallen, he'd have died the same as if I'd used Avada Kedavra! Expelliarmus saved me from Voldemort two years ago," Harry added defiantly.

"Yes, Harry," said Remus with painful restraint, "and a great number of Death Eaters witnessed that happening! Forgive me, but it was a very unusual move then, under imminent threat of death. Repeating it tonight in front of Death Eaters who either witnessed or heard about the first occasion was close to suicidal!"

"So you think I should have killed Stan Shunpike?" said Harry angrily.

"Of course not," said Remus, "but the Death Eaters—frankly, most people!—would have expected you to attack back! Expelliarmus is a useful spell, Harry, but the Death Eaters seem to think it is your signature move, and I urge you not to let it become so!"

Harry glared at him defiantly.

"I won't blast people out of my way just because they're there," said Harry, his eyes flashing

"That's Voldemort's job."

Remus sighed in frustration. But before he could retort, Fred and George stumbled into the yard, Fred holding up his brother, trying to support his weight. George was unconscious, and there was a steady river of blood gushing out of a wound on the side of his head. Bill and Sirius rushed forward to support him and helped carry him into the living room, laying him down on the couch. Molly rushed over from where she had been standing in the corner talking to Arthur, Charlie and Kingsley, and at the sight of her heavily bleeding son, she turned pale and looked as if she were about to faint. Remus reached out, ready to catch her if she fell, but with a small shake of her head, her face became a mask of grim calm and she quickly set to the task of healing her son, as a hush fell over the room. Fleur rushed over from where she had been standing with Ginny talking quietly, the squabble from this morning forgotten in face of recent events, and threw her arms around Bill, kissing him soundly on the lips.

Remus glanced around the room, searching for a familiar head of bushy brown curls. They weren't there. Where was she? Remus was beginning to panic now, everyone had come back, save for Ron and Hermione. Harry seemed to have noticed this too, as he was pacing back and forth on the carpet in front of the floo.

" _She should be here by now."_ Remus thought, urgency leaking into his mind.

Unless… no. She was alive, he was sure of it. He would know if she was dead. At least, he was pretty sure. Who knew at this point? His paranoia that something was wrong was in full swing and he walked over to Harry, intent on suggesting they go out to look for her, when a flash of blue light came in through the windows. Everyone save for Molly who was still tending to an unconscious George, raced outside to see Hermione and Ron come staggering up the front walk. Harry rushed forward and tackled them both in a bone crushing hug, nearly knocking them over with his momentum. Hermione laughed tearfully and returned the embrace, burying her face into Harry's shoulder, while Ron clapped Harry on the back. When she was released from the bone crushing hug, Hermione smiled and wiped her eyes, only to find herself in another pair of arms, only this time they were significantly stronger and she could smell the comforting aroma of chocolate and old books. Before she could question herself, she relaxed into Remus's arms, gripping him tightly in return. She felt a bit of her panic ebb away. Remus too, felt his anxiety subside a bit. He buried his face in her hair and inhaled deeply. She stilled, and Remus mentally kicked himself.

" _Nice going, you bloody fool. Normally one doesn't just smell terrified girls randomly."_ he thought, but was still too stressed, and too relieved that she was here, that she was alive to bring himself to care about improprieties all that much. His tightened his arms around her, and Hermione let out a little squeak. He loosened his hold just enough to give her a quick once over, checking for injuries.

"I'm fine Remus." she assured him softly. "Only a bit shook up."

He then realized that he had been holding her for entirely too long, and though every instinct in his body told him not to, he released her, blushing very faintly and hoping that the darkness of the night would conceal it. _Merlin, did he still blush like a bloody schoolboy?_

After untangling himself from the massive pile of Weasley men that had all converged upon him as soon as Harry had let him go, Ron stepped back and looked around, seeming to notice that one of his brother's was missing from the chaos. Arthur took him aside and spoke to him in a hushed tone, trying to explain the situation with George as calmly as possible, a moot point given the loud "WHAT?" followed by Ron rushing into the house to see his brother. Hermione, still standing extremely close to Remus sighed and made to follow him in, but Remus put a hand on her arm to still her.

"Give them a moment Hermione." He said softly, gesturing to the burrow's front window, where they could see the Weasley matriarch holding her son that towered over her as tightly as she could, while he awkwardly patted her back. Hermione suddenly heard a sharp intake of breath behind her, and looked back to where Harry was staring at the open doorway. She followed his gaze and saw Ginny leaning against the doorframe, illuminated by the soft lighting from within. Hermione felt, rather that saw Harry rush past her, and suddenly he was holding the crying girl in his arms, murmuring into her hair.

"S'okay, I'm alright Gin, shhh, it's alright" Ginny just cried harder, and then quiet suddenly out of nowhere, leaned away from him and slapped him on the arm.

"Ow! Ginny, what the hell?" Harry yelled and attempted to shield his face as she continued to swat at various parts of him.

"How dare you make me worry like that Harry James Potter! I thought you were dead!" Ginny snarled, each word punctuated with another hit.

Remus chuckled and stepped past them, Hermione trailing behind him, into the living room where Kingsley and Sirius stood over to the side having what looked to be a serious discussion, and Tonks was over in the corner, her normally bubblegum hair a mousy brown color crying softly into Fleur's shoulder. Everyone else had crowded around a now conscious and bandaged George, who was feebly joking with a grey-faced Fred as his mother spoon-fed his twin what looked to be pain potions. Hermione immediately went into helper mode, flitting around the room, tending to people's wounds and fetching snacks from the kitchen.

Remus tracked her with his eyes, his gaze never leaving her, as if to make sure that she was really there. It was hard to believe that she was, and that she wasn't injured at all. So many things had gone wrong this night, and so many more could have gone wrong. The thought of Hermione being hurt, or Godric forbid, _killed..._ Remus growled softly at the thought, his fists tightening and his eyes flashing a brief gold. No one seemed to notice except for Sirius, who walked over to the werewolf and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"You okay there Moony?" Sirius asked quietly, gently turning Remus to face him.

"Fine." Remus said, his voice tight as he focused on getting his breathing under control.

Sirius gripped his shoulder more tightly and nearly yanked him out of the room, out of sight of a certain curly haired trigger. When they had rounded the corner into the empty hallway, Remus groaned and dropped to the floor, burying his face in his hands. He had to get control of himself. He hadn't nearly lost control of Moony for the longest time, he was a goddamn adult for God's sake! First the blushing like a preteen boy on his first date, and now this? Gods he was losing his grip on himself. Sirius sat down next to him and placed a comforting arm around his shoulder. If anyone understood how he felt, it would be Sirius.

"It's gonna be alright Moony, yeah?" he said, patting the werewolf on his back.

Remus turned to him and nodded, finally calm, and then tensed again, immediately alert when he heard Hermione's shaky laughter from the other room, likely at something one of the twins said to lighten the mood. He groaned and dropped his head back into his hands while Sirius snorted. It was going to be a long night.


	3. Chapter Two

Chapter Two

It was dark. And cold. The silence seemed to stretch before her, and Hermione could do nothing. _Where was she?_ Somewhere in the distance, she could hear the slow steady sound of what seemed to be hundreds of voices, whispering and hissing quietly.

"H-Hello?" she called out, her voice shaking and thin.

There was no answer, only the menacing onslaught of conversations she couldn't quite catch. Hermione crept forward cautiously, searching for her wand in her pocket. Her fingers met cloth and lint, but no wand. _Where was it?_ She stopped and patted her pants, her jumper, and then knelt down to feel along the ground. Had she dropped it? That would be just brilliant. She could see nothing as she felt around blindly, her fingers searching for the smooth wooden handle of her wand. If she could just find it, she could cast a lumos and- her thoughts were cut short by the faint rustling noise and the feeling of something brushing past her, ever so gently. She jumped away, falling back onto her hands, and scrambled into a standing position.

"Who's there?" she asked, looking in vain around her, trying to see something in the endless darkness surrounding her.

There was no words, only the low menacing hum of voices, the words indistinct, merely a murmur of malice. Hermione panicked, a feeling of dark foreboding creeping up around her. Something was there. She was trapped in an unknown location, wandless, and she couldn't see, and she was going to die. _Shit._ The low buzz of conversation halted, leaving behind an empty and cold silence, which stretched before her. _Double shit._ Suddenly, a voice, high and cold and feminine cut through her panic.

" _The daughter of Time_ " it hissed, sending chills down her back.

Hermione couldn't tell which direction the voice was coming from. It seemed to surround her, choking her.

" _I've come for you child_." the voice snarled softly, from everywhere and nowhere all at once. " _The prophecy cannot be completed. You can't save him, or her, or anyone"_

"Can't save who? What prophecy?" Hermione asked as she spun,, searching for the source of the dark words. If only she had her wand.

" _Poor little lamb, trying to be the hero"_ the woman's voice whispered, dark mirth present in her tone. " _It is such a shame you won't get the chance."_ the words seemed to slide down her spine, wrapping around it and squeezing in a cold, unyielding grasp.

" _Because surprise poppet,"_ the voice paused, leaving a pregnant silence hanging in the air.

Hermione stood stock still in fear, the darkness pressing closer with each heaving breath.

" _I've found you."_ the woman whispered right next to her ear, and Hermione jumped with a small shriek. Hermione did next what any logical person would have done in her situation. She ran. A dark cruel laugh followed her as she tore blindly away, running as fast as she could to escape from the dark _something_ that followed. She ran and ran until she thought her lungs would burst, heaving sobs the entire time. Blind panic seeped into her veins as she sprinted through the inky darkness, a terror she had never known before. She seemed to have been running forever, the sounds of dark humor echoing behind her, when she tripped over something large and solid. She rolled a bit and stopped, groaning in pain from hitting the ground so hard. She inhaled sharply, and almost gagged at the coppery smell that permeated the air. She raised a hand to her nose to block the smell, only to be shocked at the slick wetness that coated her palm. Blood. Hermione almost gagged, the familiar scent filling her nose. She struggled to get up, but slipped, noticing then that there was a large pool beneath her. She quickly checked herself all over, where was the blood coming from?

When she could find no visible wounds, Hermione breathed a small sigh of relief, but if it wasn't her blood, then who did it belong to? A low raspy breath sounded near her ear, and Hermione scrambled backwards on her hands until she nearly fell over something large and heavy that lay behind her. She gasped as she sprawled over it, the smell of blood growing ever stronger. Her hands searched for purpose and slid up the large object, and she froze. She knew what she had landed on. She slipped a trembling hand even further upwards, and recoiled at what she found. She was lying on top of a person, a man, judging by the broad chest and lack of breasts, and she had just touched their cold and wet lips. Hermione stifled a cry. It was still too dark to see anything, much less who the man was, but she began to frantically search for any signs of a wound, hoping against hope she could find it in time to heal it, or at least try her best until she could get him to Saint Mungo's.

"Are you alright? Sir? Sir!"

A bright light suddenly illuminated his face, and Hermione's eyes squeezed shut at the sudden change. She froze when she opened them. The man's skin was a sickly yellow mixed with grey, and his mouth was open slightly, his lips tinged blue, stained with a rusty brown color of old blood. There was a congealed line of that dark blood that made a trail out of the corner of his mouth, the line dark against swollen and waxy skin. Hermione raised her trembling hands to her mouth, tears spilling down her cheeks. Her breath came in small panicky gasps as she stared in horror at the dead man lying before her. The brilliant gold-green eyes she knew so well, once so full of life and kindness, stared blankly upwards, their once vibrant color now dull and glassy.

Hermione let out a desperate sob and fell backwards, her hands slipping in his blood. She bumped into something solid behind her, and stopped moving, tears blurring her already limited vision. A hand reached down and grabbed her hair, yanking her to her feet. The same laugh from before, high and cold echoed in her ears as she strained to get away from the iron grip on her hair, her scalp burning. A different pair of hands, slim and white shot out of the darkness and closed around her throat, tightening painfully. The hands constricted even further, crushing her windpipe and causing her to gasp. Hermione choked and clawed at the hands, she was going to die, she couldn't breathe and she was going to die. She let out a strangled attempt at a shriek, which sounded more like a gurgle, trying to pull at the hands gripping and crushing, but they were so cold they burned, a searing pain on her throat. The cold burned icier and icier until it seemed that it would freeze her heart in in her chest, she couldn't stop it, and she was powerless-

Hermione awoke with a start, sitting straight up in bed, panting heavily. Sweat poured down her face, and soaked the front of her nightgown. Morning sun shone through the window, and Hermione could hear people downstairs, bustling about, and dishes clanking around as Molly made breakfast. Hermione ran her hands through her hair, smoothing the wild curls away from her face. The details of her nightmare were already slipping away, and all she could remember was the unending terror that she had felt. She sighed. It was two days after the failed mission, and Hermione was still feeling the effects of being so utterly taken by surprise by an onslaught of death eaters. She was nervous as hell and it seemed that every little noise from the shadows made her jump, despite the fact that she knew, she _knew_ she was safe at the burrow. At least for the time being. Everything that could have gone wrong that night did. No one seemed to know how the plan had gone so very wrong, but Hermione had her suspicions. Mundungus Fletcher had not been seen since that night, something Harry seemed upset about, and wanted to remedy by going out to search for the little man who gave weasels a bad name, convinced that he could be saved. But that was Harry for you, loyal to a fault, never truly believing that someone was fully bad, unless they were in Slytherin of course.

Hermione did not share the same feelings that Harry held towards Mundungus. She had always been suspicious of the conniving little man, and had been loath to include him in on the plan to get Harry, but the adults seemed to trust him enough that Hermione had kept her doubts to herself. Given the fact that he had immediately fled after Mad-eye's tragic death, he was either a massive coward or else he had played a part in the attack by selling the information to the death eater who paid the most. Hermione snorted and slid out of the bed, padding over to the dresser and grabbing a towel from the stack on top and heading down the hall to the bathroom to bathe. After showering and pulling on her outfit for the day, Hermione slipped downstairs to the kitchen, where most everyone sat at the dining table eating plates filled with hot food. Remus sat near the end of the table next to Sirius, and looked up as soon as she entered, smiling at her softly.

Hermione smiled back and walked over to them, sitting down. She told herself it was because it was the only open seat, but in truth it was just a convenient excuse to sit next to him. Remus immediately began to fix her a plate, placing slices of buttered toast and eggs in front of her. She smiled in thanks and began to eat, taking small bites and sips of her pumpkin juice. Sirius looked over and noticed Remus starting to fix her a cup of tea, and nudged him, rolling his eyes when Remus cut a glare at him.

No one seemed to have noticed, all to engrossed in the delicious spread put out by Molly to pay attention to anything that wasn't something bacon or egg related. Hermione's brow furrowed as she stirred her tea, still troubled by the details of her nightmare that seemed to evade her. She sighed and blew a wayward curl out of her face, bringing her hand up to massage her aching temples. Remus turned towards Hermione, focusing all of his attention on her. He noted her tired eyes and the deep purple bags underneath of them. She looked like hell. Another curl escaped from behind her ear and fell back in front of her face, and Remus had to physically force himself not to reach out and smooth it out of the way.

Hermione yawned loudly, causing Harry to glance up from his food.

"Are you feeling alright Hermione?" he asked a concerned look on his face.

Hermione smiled tiredly at him, reaching over to pat his hand.

"I'm fine Harry, just a bit tired this morning." she said, fighting the urge to yawn again. "More importantly, how are you doing?" she frowned reaching up to brush the unruly mop of hair away from his scar.

"Have you had any nightmares the past few nights?" she asked quietly, leaning over Remus a bit to better converse.

Harry glanced at both of them before shaking his head no, a troubled look on his face.

"Never mind me, Hermione, what about you? Gin told me you haven't been sleeping well at all."

Hermione sat up at his words, shooting an irritated glance towards the redhead at the other end of the table, who suddenly looked very interested in the dent in the wall that vaguely seemed to resemble George's face.

"I'm fine Harry, It's just a few nightmares is all" she said, ignoring the doubtful look Harry and Remus shared.

Remus placed a comforting hand on her back, and Hermione resisted the urge to lean into him. _What was wrong with her today?_ She shook her head to clear it and sipped her tea, choosing to watch Fred and George now trying to not so sneakily add what looked like worms onto Percy's plate. Hermione tucked into her food, savoring the rich and abundant flavors while everyone talked and laughed around her.

Harry looked up from his food and swallowed, a contemplative look on his face.

"Remus, I have a question" Harry said, using his fork as a pointer to gesture to Hermione and then Ron. "Do you remember me telling you all about our fifth year, how we started our own defense club?"

"And bloody proud we are that you did it Prongslette" Sirius said, affection in his voice as he leaned across the table to ruffle Harry's unruly locks.

Harry smiled back at him and then continued. "I was thinking, what if we started up again? Only this time, we would have you and Sirius as our teachers, that way we could learn as much as possible, in case we should ever need it."

Remus frowned, contemplating. "I don't know Harry-" he started, but was cut off immediately by the raven haired boy.

"Didn't you just tell me to be prepared to kill and hurt Remus?" he asked, his eyebrows raised.

"I-"

"How can I be expected to do so without any proper training?" Harry railroaded over Remus, much to the amusement of Sirius.

"He's got a point Moony" Sirius chuckled. "I'm definitely up for teaching you Harry." he smiled at the boy, who smiled back brightly.

Remus sighed. It seemed there was no way out then.

"Fine." he grumbled, and Harry, Ron and Sirius all cheered, while Hermione smiled softly. Remus grinned back and tucked back into his food.

oOo

A few hours later, Remus stood watching Ron and Harry as they flung hexes at each other, occasionally shouting directions and suggestions, whilst Hermione faced off with Sirius. The older man threw hex after hex at her, all of which she was dodging expertly, and sending a few of her own right back at him. They had been going at it for hours, without stopping for a break, and it was starting to show on the boys. Their movements were more sluggish, and their aim was off by just a bit. Hermione however, seemed to be doing just fine, her footwork and spell casting as precise as when she first started, almost challenging Sirius with every jelly legs jinx she deflected, and every stupefy dodged. Sirius himself had risen to the unspoken task, and was now dueling much more seriously than before, trying his best to catch her unawares.

Hermione laughed as yet another one of her stinging hexes hit Sirius in the leg and he hissed, pouting at the small hurt.

"Is that the best you've got?" he taunted her, throwing a quick disarming spell her way, which she quickly blocked.

She smiled mischievously and sent her next well aimed stinging hex- directly at his bollocks. The spell found its mark and Sirius fell to the ground with a sharp yelp, very much reminiscent of a dog whose tail has been stepped on.

Harry and Ron both stopped and winced in sympathy, hands both going to cover their own groins, as if to protect them in case Hermione should turn on them. Remus however, burst into hysterical laughter, his laugh booming and loud.

Hermione startled at the sound and glanced over at him, smiling, momentarily distracted by the beautiful sound.

Sirius, still on the ground, saw his chance and took it, sending a whispered "Stupefy" in the young witch's direction, entirely forgetting to put a damper on the power behind it.

The spell caught Hermione straight in the chest, sending the girl flying several feet to land on the ground with a distinct thump.

"That's enough" Remus shouted, his previous humor now forgotten as he rushed over to Hermione, who lay on the ground, the wind momentarily knocked out of her.

His eyes flashed briefly gold when Sirius got up and made to approach her with his wand still drawn, and Hermione heard a low growl that she doubted anyone but her and a disheveled Sirius heard. Sirius put his hands up in a placating way, halting his slow approach completely while Hermione sat up, her breath regained. Remus glanced over his shoulder and offered her a hand, pulling her up to stand.

Hermione wobbled a bit, still somewhat unsteady, and stumbled, falling forwards, only to be caught in Remus's arms. She swallowed at the sight of his toned arms, and her eyes traveled up the hard planes of his chest, to his face, etched with worry. Her stomach flipped at the look in his eyes, one of concern and of something else, and something she couldn't quite decipher, and was somewhat afraid to, if she was completely honest with herself. She leaned in a bit more, and his nostrils flared, his eyes flashing gold again for a brief moment. He too, leaned in a bit closer, his grip on her tightening and Hermione's very breath seemed to be caught in her throat... when she heard a loud cough from behind her. She glanced over her shoulder to see Sirius standing there somewhat awkwardly now, staring intensely at the dirt. Remus and Hermione leapt apart as though someone had struck them with a stinging hex, and quickly tried to look anywhere except each other, both a bit more red in the face than could be blamed on the labors of dueling.

Hermione cleared her throat and brushed off the front of her jumper.

" _Absolutely ridiculous"_ she thought to herself, and looked over to where all of the other pairs were still dueling, completely oblivious at to what had just transpired.

Truthfully, less than two minutes had passed, although to Hermione, it had felt like a lifetime. She swallowed again and refused to look at Sirius, who, something told her, most likely had a shit eating grin on his face. There was a shout and Harry fell to the ground, holding a gash on his arm as Ron looked in disbelief at his own wand, a slightly proud glint in his eyes as well. Hermione cleared her throat and risked a glance over at Remus, who was still staring at her with that unreadable look in his eyes. She averted her gaze, blushing hard.

"I'm going over to make sure Harry's alright" she blurted out, and then hurried in the direction of the two boys, who were now both laughing and clearly fine. Remus sighed as he watched her form move away, bringing a hand to the bridge of his nose to rub out what felt like the beginnings of a massive headache. Sirius walked up to him, laughing, and slapped him on the back hard.

"You really don't know the meaning of keeping things casual, do you Moony?" he snorted, rolling his eyes at Remus's answering glare.

"It's just," Remus sighed, all of the ire seeming to go out of him as his shoulders sagged a bit. "It's just getting so hard to keep it from her" his eyes were sad

Sirius nudged him lightly with his shoulder. "It'll be fine Moony, won't be long now before she finds out"

Remus snorted "how do you figure that?"

"Well she's about the age she was when Andi found her, so it can't be too far away now can it?" Sirius smiled, but it was strained and didn't quite meet his eyes.

Now it was Remus's turn to be concerned. He lowered his voice even further.

"How are you holding up Pads? How long has it been now, since you've-?"

"Seventeen years" Sirius cut him off abruptly, his tone sharp with grief.

"Maybe you could-"

"You know as well as I do that can't happen. She doesn't even know who I am, and I would like to keep it that way, for her sake. At least this way she's safe" Sirius's tone brokered no argument.

Remus sighed and nodded, knowing it was still such a sensitive subject for the man. He looked back over to where Hermione now stood with the boys, laughing and rolling her eyes as Harry attempted to hex Ron back whilst she was still applying dittany to his wound.

"Let's just let sleeping dogs lie, eh?" Sirius continued quietly, his voice soft and sad. He walked back towards the burrow, the conversation clearly over for now.


End file.
